Note to crooks: Get out of jail, don't go back

California’s prisons remain filled beyond capacity, and now that some offenders can serve much longer sentences in county jails, those populations have swelled as well.

Because of this, state and local authorities have acknowledged that they need to do some things differently with regard to criminal justice — specifically, they need to work harder to keep offenders from winding up back behind bars.

An initiative announced last week by Attorney General Kamala Harris seems to move in that direction. Harris created a unit within the state Department of Justice that aims to reduce the number of convicted offenders who commit new crimes.

The Division of Recidivism and Re-Entry is expected to partner with district attorneys and other county officials to track repeat offenders, use technology for better data analysis and locate funding for anti-recidivism programs.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis was in Los Angeles with district attorneys from other counties to support Harris’ plan.

“We welcome the Attorney General’s leadership and commitment of resources in this area as our county continues to protect public safety while dealing with the ongoing challenges brought on by prison realignment,” Dumanis said in a news release.

California’s public safety realignment law, which took effect in October 2011, shifted responsibility for some lower-level offenders from the state to the counties.

For example, Dumanis’ office has worked with the Probation Department and county Health and Human Services Agency to create a center that provides transitional housing to state prisoners returning to San Diego County.